Niko Shikida (式田和), the 17-year-old forward for Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza, has drawn a wave of attention after footage from a post-match interview on October 31 went viral. The match was held at Ajinomoto Field Nishigaoka, where Verdy beat RB Omiya Ardija WOMEN 2-1, with Shikida scoring the opening goal in the 38th minute of the first half. Clips of her post-match interview spread across social media, reportedly racking up 1.2 million views on X. On 5ch, comments like “unfairly cute” and “there’s no hiding her anymore” poured in, though the thread also saw pushback questioning the focus on her looks, alongside a broader debate over how women’s soccer as a sport gets perceived.
Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza forward Niko Shikida radiates fresh-faced charm in front of the camera
The 17-year-old, who plays in the women’s WE League, has captured fans’ hearts with her smile and demeanor during an interview. Comments flooded in calling her “impossible to keep hidden any longer” and “unfairly cute.”
In the WE League match held October 31 at Ajinomoto Field Nishigaoka, Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza defeated RB Omiya Ardija WOMEN 2-1. Verdy’s 17-year-old forward Niko Shikida scored the opening goal in the 38th minute of the first half.
Re: #2
Wait, was Takeda a former Verdy player? Is she his kid?
3AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:11
The way she holds the mic is way too practiced for her age!
8AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:15
Well, this is basically all the media ever wants from women's soccer lol. The actual matches are boring anyway.
11AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:17
Figured she'd be plain, but she's actually genuinely cute.
12AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:17
Women's sports each have their own appeal, so why is soccer the one that just looks like a watered-down version of the men's game?
52AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:31
Re: #12
There's already a lot of dead time as it is, and on top of that the shots lack real power. That lack of power actually works in volleyball's favor since it leads to long rally exchanges. Women's baseball is boring too, honestly.
57AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:34
Re: #12
That's not unique to soccer. If men and women performed at the same level, there'd be no reason to separate the sport by gender in the first place.
73AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:46
Re: #12
It's like watching the Asian Games right after the Olympic track events — of course you lose interest.
13AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:17
Niko-chan — even her name is cute 🥹
15AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:18
How many times do I have to say it — hyping her up with a headline like that just isn't fair to her.
16AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:18
Women's baseball ("yakyuu," using the jokey slang term for baseball) never gets any buzz at all.
18AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:18
Making this big a fuss over an ordinary girl is just creepy.
19AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:20
If this gets more women coming out to watch, that's a good thing.
20AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:20
Niko niko, Niko-chan, always such a good girl — say 'hai!', stay cheerful 'hai!', it's Niko-chan, 'hai!' (a playful chant riffing on her name and "niko-niko," the Japanese word for beaming/smiling)
22AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:22
It's a little unsettling seeing flashy, unconventional baby names ("kira-kira names") making a comeback.
24AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:23
1.2 million views on X, lol. Cute is justice.
27AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:23
Niko-chan's actually got real skill too — she's a future Nadeshiko Japan player (the nickname for Japan's women's national team).
31AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:25
Young ladies who haven't even gotten married yet, kicking a ball around — people actually enjoy watching this?
37AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:26
No matter how you slice it, baseball girls are cuter.
46AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:29
She looks like a potato.
50AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:31
Re: #46
You look like a burdock root yourself.
47AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:29
Her face is pretty average, but the awkward, halting way she talks is charming.
53AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:32
You guys keep calling Nadeshiko Japan players ugly, but Sameshima and Kawasumi are plainly cute, and Ohno's got that small-animal kind of adorable look. Heck, even Konga is charming and cute once you actually see her in person. Maruyama practically oozes married-woman sex appeal, and Sawa's great at dribbling too.
59AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:35
This player in the photo, Runa Kadoya, is cute too
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/92c0409c8601a96c4ee2caf3eb94cb9200caaa63/images/000
60AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:35
First time since Yoko Tanaka a girl's gotten this much buzz purely for her looks?
63AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:36
Isn't she already on the current Little Nadeshiko squad (Japan's youth national team)?
83AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:53
Re: #63
She was a key player on last year's Little Nadeshiko squad — a year above this year's group.
65AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:37
Isn't it just plain creepy to flood a soccer player's posts with "cute" comments? Yeah, it's creepy.
78AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:48
People hyping her up like this are probably doing it on purpose, setting the bar impossibly high.
80AnonymousNov 4, 2026 08:49
Re: #78
Like the "Nishiyama rule" that lets you turn pro right away.
Background and Talking Points
The WE League, founded in 2021, is Japan’s top professional women’s soccer league, and compared to the men’s J.League, both attendance and media exposure remain relatively limited. Because of that, it isn’t unusual for a player’s looks or on-camera demeanor to become the story before the sport itself does — which tends to produce two reactions at once: welcoming it as a way to draw in new fans, and worrying that it does nothing to build genuine interest in the sport. This thread was no exception, with comments questioning the quality of women’s soccer as a sport running alongside comments criticizing the focus on appearance, never settling into a simple for-or-against split. Worth keeping in mind as context: the interview clip spread online before the actual match result did, even though Shikida had scored the opening goal in the 38th minute of the first half.
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